Over at Comment is Free, Simon Sarmiento of Thinking Anglicans examines the Church of England’s opposition to the “equality” bill currently before Parliament:
This is not just about sexual orientation. Existing equality regulations already give religious organisations a pass for various other reasons, including the circumstances in which a marriage came to an end, gender (female bishops are not compulsory) and marital status itself. [William] Fittall [of the Church of England said: “You might believe that some of our rules and disciplines are wrong, but our view is that that is a matter of religious liberty – a matter for the Church of England, Roman Catholics, the Jews or whoever.”
“We are not seeking carte blanche, but if a religious organisation is employing someone in a role for which you have to be a member of that faith, it is reasonable that restrictions – whether they be on marital history or whatever – can be part of the requirements.”